Boat mooring arm arrangement



July 20, 1965 R. A. JOHNS BOAT MOORING ARM ARRANGEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 14, 1964 JFcc/e r6630 @Zvzzldkas July 20, 1965 R. A. JOHNSBOAT MOORING ARM ARRANGEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 14, 19643,195,498 BOAT MDGRING ARM ARRANGEMENT Robert A. Johns, Racine, Wis,assignor to Fabricast Manufacturing (10., Woodstock, 111., a corporationof Illinois Filed Apr. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 359,601 2 Claims. (Cl.114-230) This invention relates to an improved mooring arm arrangementand more particularly to an improved arrangement for mooring small boatsand the like relative to a dock.

It is a prime object of this invention to provide an improved mooringarm arrangement particularly adapted for mooring small boats to a dockso as to keep the boat in relatively spaced relation from the dock butyet permit the boat to rise and fall with the water level or toaccommodate the motion experienced by the waves of the water.

A still further object is to provide an improved mooring arrangementwhereby the boat which is moored is constantly spaced from the dock soas to prevent damage to the boat bearing excessive wave action.

A still further object is to provide an improved mooring arrangementwherein the front and rear portions of the boat are securely fastened soas to keep the boat laterally spaced from the dock and yet permit theboat to rise and fall with the water level.

A further object is to provide a greatly simplified and improved boatmooring arrangement comprising arms which are connected to the dock andwhich have flexibly supported portions which are tied to the front andrear ends of the boat to maintain the boat in laterally spaced positionrelative to the dock and further including means for securing the boatagainst relative parallel movement in combination with the mooring arms.

These and further objects will become more readily apparent from areading of the description when examined in connection with theaccompanying sheets of drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View showing a dock arrangement and includinga boat moored to the dock by means of an improved boat mooring armarrangement;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a single mooring arm suitablyconnected to a dock, the said mooring arm shown in a non-use positionand also being shown in a use position connected to a boat in theprocess of being moored and fastened to the arm;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of a portion of a mooring armshowing the said arm secured to the side of a dock;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the two upright members of amooring arm connected together by means of a coil spring;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged end view of the end of a mooring arm showing thedetail connection of the same to a swivel; and

FIGURE 7 is a detail view showing hand grips secured to the upper end ofa tubular member forming part of a mooring arm.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 1 a mooring arm arrangement isgenerally shown by the reference character It). The mooring armarrangement 10 is shown in combination with a dock 11 projectingoutwardly into the water. The dock 11 has moored thereto a small boat 12by means of the mooring arm arrangement 19. The boat 12 comprises a topstern plate 13 and a top bow plate 14.

The mooring arm arrangement comprises a pair of mooring arms generallydesignated at 15. Each mooring arm 15 comprises, as best shown inFIGURES 2 and 3, an upright tubular member secured to the dock, as shownin FIGURES 3 and 4 by means of a clamping bracket 17 United StatesPatent 0 "ice having bolt fasteners 18 secured through a plate 19forming part of the dock sides.

The upper end of the upright tubular member 16 is provided with anupwardly and outwardly inclined tubular portion 29. The tubular portion2%) has connected therein a rod 21 having its end 22 projecting adistance into the tubular portion 20 and being secured therein by meansof a weld designated at 23. The weld 23 also secures a coil 2 3 of acoil spring 25 which is secured in overlapping relation with respect tothe rod to the upper end of the rod 21.

Each mooring arm 15 also includes a second inclined tubular portion 26which is longitudinally spaced relative to the inclined tubular portion20 and which is also overlapped by means of the coil spring 2 5 and hassecured thereto by means of a weld 28 one of the coils 27 of the spring25.

As best shown in FIGURE 2 the tubular member 26 also inclines upwardlyand outwardly with respect to the dock 11 and the said tubular member 26is provided at its upper end with a plug 29 having a generallyvertically extending bore 31). A weld 31 secures the plug within theupper end of the member 26 as indicated. A swivel hook 32 comprises alooped portion 33 having a swivel section 34 extending through the bore3t) and be rotatable therein. The swivel portion 34 has rigidly connected thereto an upper washer 35 and a lower washer 36, the said lowerwasher 36 being retained by means of an abutment 37 secured to theswivel portion 34.

As best shown in FIGURES 2 and 7 hand grips 38 are suitably welded tothe sides of the inclined tubular portion 20 which may serve as marineties to which marine ropes may be tied. The stern plate 13 and bow plate14 have suitably secured thereto mooring hooks 40 to which flexiblefastening ties connected to the loops 33 may be secured. Also ropes 41and 4-2 are connected to the hooks 40 and in turn are suitably connectedto the dock as indicated at 43 for maintaining the boat against relativeparallel movement with respect to the dock 11.

During non-use the arms 15 are in the position indicated in FIGURE 2where they are out of the way and the spring coil 25 maintains thetubular members 26 in the position indicated. When it is desired to moorthe boat 12 in the position shown in FIGURE 1 it is a simple matter forthe occupants of the boat to merely reach over and grasp the flexiblefastening lines 39 and to secure them in the position shown in FIGURE 1,and in the dotted position of FIGURE 2 to the mooring hooks 40.

After the flexible fastening tics 39 are so tied the ropes 41 and 42 areattached also to the hooks 40 and the boat is now securely mooredrelative to the dock. As the level of the water may rise or lower thearms the tubular portions 20 may move up and down to accommodate suchmovement by virtue of the resilient connection of the springs 25. Yet atall times the boat 12 is laterally spaced from the dock and no danger ofdamage to the sides of the boat can occur. Thus, the normally utilizedfenders are completely unnecessary since the boat is safely positionedagainst any damage occurring. The ropes 41 and 42 also prevent parallelmovement of the boat 12 so that the boat is effectively moored and yetmay move as a result of the swells of the water or as a result of thewaves in a manner desired without any possible engagement of the boatwith the dock proper.

It is, of course, obvious that it is a simple matter to untie the armsand the spring lines whereupon the arms again assume the position shownin FIGURE 2.

Thus an improved mooring arrangement has been disclosed and it must beunderstood that changes and modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention as disclosed or from the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed'is:

1. A mooring arrangement for maintaining a boat in laterally spacedmoored position relative to a dock com:

prising: v V 1 (a) a pair of mooring arms; t

r (b) each arm including a first upright member of substantial length; 7(c) means connecting said upright member to a dock; (d) said uprightmember having an inclined outwardly of the dock upper end portion ofshorter length than said upright member and providing a spring seat; (e)a coil spring supported on said seat and normally projecting in inclinedrelation with respect to the lower end of said upright member;

(f) a second normally upright member having a lowe end portion connectedto said coil spring;

(g) said second member including an upper end having a flexible memberconnector connected thereto; (h) flexible members connected to saidconnectors and to longitudinally spaced portions of a boat; wherebysaidsecond members are disposed in substantially horizontal positionsrelative to said first members and said boat may move freely verticallyrelative to a dock; and said second upright members are returned bysaidsprings' to their normal position upon disconnection from said boat.

2. LA mooring'arrangement in accordance with claim 1,

including fiexiblef members connecting the forward and 10 rearwardportions of said boat tofsaid dock to secure the boat against parallelmovement with respect to said dock.

" References Cited the-Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS MILTON BUCHLER,Primary Examiner. 20 FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Examiner.

1. A MOORING ARRANGEMENT FOR MAINTAINING A BOAT IN LATERALLY SPACEDMOORED POSITION RELATIVE TO A DOCK COMPRISING: (A) A PAIR OF MOORINGARMS; (B) EACH ARM INCLUDING A FIRST UPRIGHT MEMBER OF SUBSTANTIALLENGTH; (C) MEANS CONNECTING SAID UPRIGHT MEMBER TO A DOCK; (D) SAIDUPRIGHT MEMBER HAVING AN INCLINED OUTWARDLY OF THE DOCK UPPER ENDPORTION OF SHORTER LENGTH THAN SAID UPRIGHT MEMBER AND PROVIDING ASPRING SEAT; (E) A COIL SPRING SUPPORTED ON SAID SEAT AND NORMALLYPROJECTING IN INCLINED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE LOWER END OF SAIDUPRIGHT MEMBER; (F) A SECOND NORMALLY UPRIGHT MEMBER HAVING A LOWER ENDPORTION CONNECTED TO SAID COIL SPRING; (G) SAID SECOND MEMBER INCLUDINGAN UPPER END HAVING A FLEXIBLE MEMBER CONNECTOR CONNECTED THERETO; (H)FLEXIBLE MEMBERS CONNECTED TO SAID CONNECTORS AND TO LONGITUDINALLYSPACED PORTIONS OF A BOAT; WHEREBY SAID SECOND MEMBERS ARE DISPOSED INSUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITIONS RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST MEMBERS ANDSAID BOAT MAY MOVE FREELY VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO A DOCK; AND SAID SECONDUPRIGHT MEMBERS ARE RETURNED BY SAID SPRINGS TO THEIR NORMAL POSITIONUPON DISCONNECTION FROM SAID BOAT.